The Buzz Bean Incident/Part 4
"And so Gargamel wanted to discover these 'buzz beans' for himself so he could have enough energy to go after and capture the Smurfs," Empath said. "It was a dangerous thing to consider, Empath," Smurfette said. "We already had enough trouble trying to outsmurf him in the forest at his regular best. We didn't want to think what would happen if became so energetic that there was no stopping him." "But he did eventually come across them, if what this smurf is sensing from the retelling of the story is true," Empath said. "Anyway, how were you Smurfs handling the effects of the buzz bean beverage?" "Eventually the effects wore off by the end of the day, and we were feeling rather tired by the time supper smurfed along," Smurfette answered. And as Smurfette continued her story, Empath saw in her mind all her fellow Smurfs gathered around the dining commons at suppertime, most of them looking rather exhausted. Even Greedy and his kitchen crew seemed to be slacking off in their duties as they were haphazardly serving the meals and drinks to all the Smurfs sitting at the tables. Hefty, Tuffy, and Duncan were sitting together looking at all their fellow Smurfs. "Michty me, those Smurfs sure look all smurfered out and ready for a good night's smurf, laddies," Duncan said. "I think it's that buzz bean drink that's got them all tired, Gutsy," Hefty said. "Yeah, even Greedy and his kitchen crew don't smurf so good," Tuffy said. "Well, hopefully it's been a very productive day for most of everyone here in the village," Duncan said. "Maybe tomorrow will be a repeat of today, if that buzz bean really smurfs them into overdrive." "That's what scares me, Gutsy," Hefty said. "That buzz bean could end up smurfing them into an early grave if they smurf too much of it." "Smurf too much of that stuff?" Tuffy said, sounding curious. "But how?" "I don't know, but maybe Papa Smurf knows," Hefty said. "Anyway, I'm smurfing away from that stuff for as long as it's been smurfed in the morning." "Aye, that smurfs like a good idea coming from you, laddie," Duncan said in agreement. Meanwhile, Tapper noticed Smurfette slumped over her food, looking like she would rather go to sleep. "Great Smurfiny Crickets, my dear Smurfette, are you feeling okay tonight?" he asked concerned. "I feel like I would want to smurf to sleep for days after today, Tapper," Smurfette said, her voice sounding rather monotone. "I'm so tired that I don't even feel like eating." "There's always tomorrow, if the good Lord is willing," Tapper said, trying to sound confident. "After a good night's smurf, you'll be bright and eager for what the new day has in smurf for you." "Are you going to be smurfing that new drink tomorrow, Tapper?" Smurfette asked. "I would like to, but Papa Smurf wants me to smurf it down so that you Smurfs wouldn't be so unrestrainable in our daily duties," Tapper answered. "I feel like I would need it at full strength tomorrow, Tapper," Smurfette said. "I don't think I can handle tomorrow with that buzz bean brew smurfed too weak." "We'll see what happens tomorrow, Smurfette," Tapper said. ----- "Meanwhile, Gargamel was looking through his books to find something that would smurf him the same energy that the Smurfs now have, which was how he discovered the buzz bean, and how he would smurf a spell that would amplify its effects," Smurfette said. And as Smurfette continued her story, Empath saw that Gargamel was up all night reading through his books until he came across one about the purple-red bean pods that grew in the forest. "'These special beans, when brewed, give whoever drinks it enhanced energy that lasts for a single day,'" Gargamel read aloud. "That's it! Those wretched little Smurfs must have discovered these beans for themselves and found out how to extract a drink from it that could boost their energy. Well, when I get my hands on those beans, I will make from them a super-powerful drink that will give me so much energy that none of those Smurfs will be able to escape me." He lit a torch and headed out into the forest. "I know that it will be dangerous to search the forest at this time of night, but if it will help me find those magic beans to give me that kind of energy, then it will be worth the risk," Gargamel said to himself. ----- "And so the rest of the night passed without incident, Empath, but the following morning is when things would lose all restraint in the village," Smurfette said. And as Smurfette continued her story, Empath saw that the Smurfs were awake once again to attend breakfast as before. But Duncan who was with Hefty and Tuffy noticed that Amore wasn't his usual calm self that morning. "Michty me, laddie, what has smurfed on with you last night?" Duncan asked. "And why do you smell like you just had the Smurfette dream?" "I couldn't smurf to sleep all last night, Duncan," Amore said, sounding rather fidgety. "Whatever was in that brew I smurfed yesterday was so powerful enough that it...made me smurf the Smurfette dream several times in a row last night, and I just feel so shameful." "Gosh, I didn't think that Tapper's new brew would smurf that in any Smurf, let alone Amore of all Smurfs," Tuffy said. "It's just what I smurfed yesterday morning, that this new drink is dangerous, and that it should be banned from ever being smurfed at breakfast or any other time of day," Hefty said. "Oh, come on there, laddie," Duncan said. "Amore just smurfed that dream several times in a night, and he's still smurfing. It's not like he's smurfing on the brink of death here." "But that is just not normal for any Smurf, Dunk, to have that many Smurfette dreams in a single night," Tuffy said. "You're smurfing me," Hefty said. "I would hate to think what Smurfette might smurf in private with herself after being smurfed up on that new brew." Then the three of them saw that Amore was shaking all over. "Excuse me, Smurfs, but I'm feeling that sensation smurfing on me," he said. And soon afterward he ran as far as he could away from the breakfast table. "Poor laddie," Duncan said. "It's too bad he isn't married to Smurfette right about now." "Yeah, he sure looks like he's going to smurf a load of himself," Tuffy said. "You can both dream about it, as well as Amore, because it's going to be me that Smurfette is ultimately going to marry when the time smurfs," Hefty said. "Not if the lassie asks me first, laddie," Duncan said. "Besides, who knows if she's going to ask me to marry her?" Tuffy said. Duncan and Hefty both laughed. "Smurfette marrying you? That will be the day!" Soon afterward, Tapper appeared with his serving cart and brew dispenser. "Come ye, come ye, serving fresh hot brew to smurf the start of your day!" he called out. Papa Smurf and Brainy watched as most of the Smurfs got up from their seats to get their cups of hot morning brew from Tapper. They soon sat back in their seats and drank, with their eyes lighting up like a video game. "I don't like the smurfs of this, Papa Smurf," Brainy said. Papa Smurf looked at the scene with scrutinizing eyes. "We'll see what happens this morning, Brainy, we'll see," Papa Smurf said. ----- "So Amore was having the shakes, and not just the kind from drinking too much acorn brew either," Empath said, somewhat amused. "It's too bad the Imaginarium wasn't yet in existence at the time when he had this problem." "I felt sorry for him too, even if I couldn't smurf anything to relieve him of those feelings without compromising myself," Smurfette said. "Anyway, Gargamel was at work smurfing himself up an extract of the buzz bean that he called Caffeinatus Maximus." "Caffeinatus Maximus?" Empath said. "Sounds like the proper Latin name for the buzz bean itself, never mind what Gargamel would make from it." And as Smurfette's story continued, Empath saw that Gargamel was brewing up a thick black liquid from the beans of the buzz bean pods he collected, waiting with eager expectation of what it will do for him. "This is going to be the formula that will really put the spring in my steps, Azrael," Gargamel said to his cat, who looked on with some disinterest. "With the addition of other stimulating ingredients, this will make it impossible for the Smurfs to even know when I'm coming upon them. And when I collect all the Smurfs that I need for my Philosopher's Stone, the other Smurfs will be as good as gold when I'm finished with them." Azrael watched as his master ladled the formula from the cauldron he was brewing it in into a test tube. "Mmmm, this stuff already smells so invigorating," Gargamel said after he gave the contents a sniff. "Now let's see how it tastes and how it works." With a single gulp, Gargamel swallowed the contents of the test tube. He stuck out his tongue at the bitter taste of the brew, but then suddenly he could feel his heart racing and his hands and legs becoming shaky as he felt a powerful rush of energy surging through him. Then like a bolt of lightning, Gargamel shot forth from his house, running so fast that he had no idea where he was heading, until he found himself running straight into a lake and nearly drowning. Gargamel swam to shore and panted heavily to relax himself. "That...magic...brew...surely...gives me...a lot of...speed," he managed to say between breaths. "But at least I know...that it works." To be expanded on. Category:VicGeorge2K9's articles